Big East Football Week 4 Breakdown
Lock of the Week: UTEP at South Florida
South Florida continues to climb up the ranks in college football, collecting their third straight win in as many tries. This team is stocked full of talent and is unleashing on anything that gets in their way. Last week they humiliated Florida A&M, hanging an impressive 70 points on the board. B.J. Daniels, the junior signal caller, had a monster day throwing for 382 yards and four scores and zero interceptions. Junior tailback Darrell Scott had a career day as well, rushing for 146 yards and three scores on just 12 attempts. That is an unheard of 12.2 yards per carry. This type of game leaves you wondering how many more yards he would have gotten if the end zones were farther apart. South Florida will have no problem drumming UTEP this week.
South Florida 42 UTEP 17
Upset Alert! Connecticut at Buffalo
Both teams enter play with a 1-2 record, and each program will be looking to get back to .500. UConn lost a tightly contested game against Iowa State last week so they will be looking to rebound. However Buffalo is desperate to pick up their second win of the year, and playing at home always helps. The offense for the Huskies stalled last week as neither the passing attack nor the ground and pound got any momentum going. Junior QB Johnny McEntee was less than impressive, completing only 13 of his 30 passing attempts while managing to throw an interception but no scores. He will certainly need to step up his game if Connecticut does not want to fall to 1-3 before hitting the Big East schedule. The rushing attack also needs to improve. Lyle McCombs was only able to muster up an abysmal 2.6 yards per carry.
Game of the Week! LSU at West Virginia
This game means a lot of the Big East. This is a conference that is struggling for respect and many people believe is starting to fall apart. A signature win, like West Virginia over LSU, could help to change those thoughts. Quarterback Gene Smith needs to have a great game if the Mountaineers want to have a chance to win this game. You can read a much more in depth and detailed breakdown of this classic match up here. Breaking down LSU at West Virginia
LSU 31 West Virginia 17
Best of the Rest
North Carolina State at Cincinnati
This is another Big East versus ACC matchup. The Bearcats have a nice advantage playing at home against a foe who is 0-1 on road trips this year. Cincinnati is coming off an impressive win over Akron, where they scored 59 points and only gave up 14. In the game the Bearcats had two “pick six’s” which is always a huge boost for a team. This defense is going to need to play inspired and opportunistic if they want to beat this solid NC state squad. Watch for Zach Collaros to have a big game in his final tune up before hitting the Big East.
Cincinnati 34 NC State 17
Toledo at Syracuse
Syracuse, one of the newest members of the ACC, is hosting a dangerous Toledo team. However the Orangemen are coming off a disappointing loss to USC. They will absolutely not allow themselves to lose two straight contests. QB Ryan Nassib is having a solid season, and had a strong performance last week, but it was not enough to collect the W. This week look for Nassib to hook up with Alec Lemon, who quite often garners the teams most receptions, as they go to the air to mix things up.
Syracuse 31 Toledo 21
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
The Panthers had a fourth quarter collapse against a tough Iowa team. This team is still embarrassed about the loss and figures they should have come away with the victory. Now they are at home, hosting a Notre Dame team that only has one victory. This is almost a must win game for the Panthers. If Pittsburgh wants to be successful this year they need better play out of the quarterback spot. Current starter, Tino Sunseri has thrown only three touchdowns, versus four interceptions. This is unacceptable for a team that wants to be competitive for a BCS Bowl game. However the Panthers are lucky in the fact that junior running back Ray Graham is having an outstanding year. He has run the ball 79 times already this year, averaging an impressive 5.3 yards per pop, as well as scoring six touchdowns. His gaudy numbers are going to have to stay the same for Pittsburgh to win this game. The Panthers will overcome the collapse of last week and put that defeat on the back of another opponent.
Pittsburgh 27 Notre Dame 24
Ohio at Rutgers
This game is an interesting matchup as it pits an undefeated Ohio team against a 1-1 Rutgers team. The Scarlet Knights came up just short last week against North Carolina, falling 22-24. However Chas Dobb looked solid, tossing two scores and not throwing an interception. His maturity and growth is the key to keeping this team competitive. So far all signs have looked positive for him, as Rutgers tries to improve to 2-1. Junior Mohmaed Sanu is clearly the WR to keep an eye on as he has emerged as their best offensive weapon and Dobbs’ favorite target, hauling in a team high 20 balls, for a team high two TD’s. Dobbs to Sanu will be a combination for the rest of the Big East to take notice of, as it will dominate throughout the year.
Rutgers 31 Ohio 24
Lock of the Week 3-0
Game of the Week 3-0
